[jessc79]

When I went in for my 8 week pp visit, my MW told me that I had 2 choices: Depo and Condoms. Without skipping a beat, I chose Depo. No big deal, it made me crazy but I am used to that now. But I wonder how it is affecting my milk. I am supposed to get my next shot on Oct. 13 but I am thinking of just cancelling it and using condoms...it would probably be cheaper because we are too tired to do it anymore!

Any advice? Is there anything "safe" out there besides condoms? I really can't get pregnant again right now.

 

[Elphaba]

um, why do you only have 2 choices?????
depo is known to decrease milk supply; whether it hurt your supply a little or a lot only you will know that.
you could have gotten an IUD, gone on the minipill, gotten a diaphragm (though those are much less effective after having a baby), used contraceptive foam, and possibly even used the patch or the ring, though those, too, may have hurt your supply.
seriously, why were you only allotted 2 options? is it because that is all she has access to?

:
depo is a pretty scary drug -- loss of bone and depression are the 2 biggies, but it also takes a LONG time to get out of your system. there are women here at MDC who did not resume ovulating until 15-18 months after their last shot of depo. that's just creepy.
if money is a big concern, you might look up planned parenthood in your area. they have a variety of contraceptives available and charge very low fees. you can even look them up online to see what they have and get information about each method.

 

[jessc79]

My MW won't do an IUD because she said she has seen dangerous things.

:
I know too many people who got pg on the mini pill. My MW agreed.
We may just use condoms. I don't want all those hormones in my system. I hate not being able to control how I feel!! Plus, I have GAINED weight since I have had my baby!

:

 

[Elphaba]

depo is a bitch for weight gain isn't it?! i gained 30 pounds in the 9 months i was on it. horrifying. plus it made my depression much more severe. i steer clear of artificial hormones now, too.
good luck trying to figure out what to use! too bad we can't plug up the seminal vesicles of our spouses and be done with it.

 

[cat_astrophe]

Depo is the devil!!! My second shot of depo stopped my milk production completely. There is a new IUD out that is much safer than the old copper ones. It is hormonal, and uses hormones similar to depo or norplant, but releases them directly into your utereus so it doesn't need to be such high amounts in your blood. With the old copper ones, you still ovulated, but the embryos could not implant. The new one actually stops ovulation as well. It's something to think about. Also, I have heard good things about the ring.

 

[mamangazelle]

I HATE depo. They gave it to me after my 1st dd's birth. I bled for 6 months! You can't get it out of your system if you find out it's not working good for you.
A combination of the minipill + contraceptive foam could be the answer for you?
But maybe condoms are the way to go for you (But I hate condoms almost as much as I hate depo...)

 

[schatz]

I have to echo the anti-depo sentiments here. I had one shot and within four days I no longer produced enough milk to feed my 7 week old dd. I called my doc's office and they shrugged it off as not being related. The LC I then called looked up depo on the web and found a statement in the fine print and it said depo "decreased milk supply in *some* women". Guess I'm some woman! That was the last depo shot I got. Still haven't seen af but that is probably due to continuing to nurse (dd's now 9 months and eats very few solids). I managed to get my supply back up after lots of pumping and fenugreek -- it was very, very stressful. I've made a mental note to mention this to my doc next time I see her. I'm surprised your mw even recommended depo. Usually they are more in tune to things that affect milk supply.

good luck!

 

[jackson's mama]

I agree, ditch the depo. I don't think I've ever heard a woman say she liked it (or the multitude of side-effects it caused).

What about other barrier methods like a diaphragm?

 

[RidentMama]

I, too, have heard many bad things about depo. One of my friends had the shot and bled straight for nine months! And to think that I used to think that five days of AF was bad.

If you go with the condom idea, it's probably a really good idea to use an extra spermicide (Ortho makes a good one) as a backup. I know a woman who ovulated twice in a week (they use condoms only), and became pregnant with twins...they're a week apart in age! But they're all happy!

 

[sparkeze]

I was on depo for 3 years before I stopped to get pregnant and I liked it at the time. I had some weight gain (10-15 lbs maybe?) although I cannot conclusively say it was form the depo since I had some lifestyle changes at the time also. After the first month I never had any periods, didn't have to remember to take it everyday (always forgot the pill), insurance covered the shots so it was free to me, and after I stopped getting the shot I waited 6 months to start TTC and I got pregnant the first month. So I guess I lucked out?

I got another shot at my 6 wk post partum visit and have only had an oversupply problem (which I wouldn't say depo caused) so it didn't affect my milk supply either. But I did stop getting the shots last year because I feel creepy about the whole hormonal thing. But except for getting my periods back and needing another form of BC I haven't noticed any changes.

So I guess it worked out fine for me but ymmv, so it's better to try something that's more easily/quickly reversible IMHO. But if you don't notice any milk supply problems and you like it, it's very effective as bc.

 

[Lucysmama]

What about FAM? Have you ever read Taking Charge of Your Fertility? If used correctly it is very effective, and has no side effects - you will have to use back-up methods for a few days per month, though - like condoms.
I love FAM and many women here on MDC have relied on it for a long time. I used Depo too, after I had dd I got a shot. Caused decreased supply. (I pumped so I could really see how big the change was.) It also took a year to start ovulating once I discontinued it!!!

FAM has many benefits, too.. it never hurts to understand your body's cycles better.

 

[jessc79]

Lucysmama-I have TCOYF and I have read it. It scares me, though. I know it works for many women, but I worry about how long it will take me to get used to it and how the remaining Depo will affect my ability to to do it. I might try in in conjuction with something like condoms or a diaphragm.

Jackson's mama-I don't know very much about diaphragms. Are they messy?

 

[Elphaba]

the problem with a diaphragm is that they are only about 70% effective once you've had a baby. they just can't grip your cervix in it's post-baby shape. they're about 85-89% effective in women who haven't had a baby, just as a reference point.
all the really effective contraceptives are hormone-based, which is really crappy IMO. for those of us that can't tolerate artificial hormones, we aren't left with much. i can't use spermicides because they burn the hell out of me (and dh), diaphragm and cap aren't going to work now that i've had a baby, female condom is just too much, so that leaves FAM and condoms. i do keep track of my cycles, but on the rare occasion our toddler lets us have sex, we use condoms. sure, it's kind of weird that a couple that has been married 6 years is still using condoms, but that's all we were left with, besides sterilization, and we aren't quite ready for that yet.

 

[jessc79]

Quote:

After what it did to me, a healthy, youth women, I would never put it into my child body via breastmilk!

My poor little guy.

 

[Lucky Charm]

Quote:

depo is a bitch for weight gain isn't it?! i gained 30 pounds in the 9 months

I gained 26! more than all three of my pregnancies! It really affected my mood. and i am not a "moody" person. I was never one to PMS, cry etc, but depo made me "flat" and even quicker to fly off the handle (i have a quick temper, big suprise). what i did like about it was i never got my period.

I have gotten pregnant on the pill (she's 16 now!), and my last baby was a condom that broke (thank you God for letting that happen!). I'm on the pill now and like it, but then again, i am not nursing. decreasing my supply would scare the sh*t out of me, and so do IUD's. and diaphragms. and does the foam even work? doesnt it make you itchy? I have my cootchie check in a week, and am thinking about trying the patch.

Does the patch decrease supply?

 

[jessc79]

CK's Mom-
No, you didn't make me feel bad! Its not your fault. I just get frustrated with myself because often I do research AFTER I have already done something like vaccines, antibiotics, etc. My poor little guy is only 4 months old and his body has been under attack!

I will definitely NOT do depo again. I have not lost any weight since I had my baby and I am sure it is because all I do it eat on the depo!! Plus, all the negative affects. I don't think I will go hormonal again.

Guess I will have to pull out the TCOYF book and some condoms. I wish there was a better altenative but I guess nature just wants us all to be pregnant all the time!

 

[mamabutterfly]

((((( jessc79 )))))) Hooray to you for educating yourself now & trying to do what's best for your son. It's really hard to question decisions we've already made, I know. But all you can do is look forward now -- When we know better, we do better, is our big mantra around here, right?

Elphaba -- I guess I've been trying to avoid the same conclusions you're laying out, but there doesn't seem to be a way around it: FAM or condoms

Darn. Spermicides really irritate me, so I stopped using my diaphragm & we moved to condoms & lottsa lubricant, and my burning is gone. Now I like sex again & sh doesn't. Sigh.

I want to just use FAM but I'm very confused without postpartum periods back yet, and still nightnursing/waking & cosleeping, so that am temp is tough to take.

Thanks for everyone's opinions on the Depo though. How sad that most hcp's are so uninformed.

 

[jessc79]

Thanks so much for all of your help!!